Broadways Subway – A Boondoggle In The Making

Subways are very expensive items and only built when there is no other alternative available. SkyTrain ICTS/ALRT/ART, was supposed to mitigate the high cost of subway construction, but it didn’t as it proved to almost as expensive as a heavy-rail metro to build, with the capacity of modern light-rail. The result: No one builds with […]

Broadway Subway Reality Check – Toronto’s 8.6 km Spadina Line Subway Now $3.2 Billion!

For those of you who have been pooh-poohing, Zwei’s cost estimate for the Broadway subway, the following news item from Toronto should send a not too subtle message that subways are very expensive to build and are only built when there is the massive traffic flows that demand long trains and large stations to accommodate […]

Sobering Thoughts

The future may not be as transit friendly as many would have wished. The preceding chart should send chills down TransLink’s collective spine. Metro Vancouver’s transit system is based on the “Spoke and hub” theory of transit practice where major “transit hubs” are connected by light-metro and fed by a network of bus routes (spokes). […]

Out of the Pan and Into the Fire Dept.

It seems TriMet, in Portland are playing the part of rubes by hiring former TransLink president and general manager of its subsidiary British Columbia Rapid Transit Company Ltd.,Doug Kelsey. I believe TriMet will soon have buyers remorse because under Kelsey’s leadership, Vancouver’s light-metro system suffered many shutdowns due to lack of maintenance and poor management. […]

Old Yale Crossing

A photograph by Brent William Postlethwaiteai??Z Old Yale Crossing

Shake Your Head In Disbelief Deptment

A snow broom in Sapporo Japan clears snow from the line. Yet in Richmond a mere dusting of snow and a trace of freezing rain brought the Canada Line to a halt. Really? Now, freezing rain and ice storms can stop trams from running, when ice shrouded electrical overhead sags due to weight and is […]

A Pricey Massey Tunnel Bridge Repacement Wonai??i??t Clear Up Congestion

As the local newspapers try to deal with the proposed Massey Tunnel replacement, Metro News has an interesting article. In reality, the Massey Tunnel, replacement bridge will not alleviate congestion, rather just move it from Delta to Richmond. Now Eric Chris may want to correct Zwie on this, but here is the problem. There are […]

Oops! Canada Line Problems

Compass Card problems and now the Canada Line goes ka-put, not a good start to 2016. Ai?? Monday morning issues on TransLinkai??i??s Canada Line Vancouver, BC, Canada / News Talk 980 CKNW | Vancouver’s News. Vancouver’s Talk Gord MacDonald TransLink is reporting a problem on the Canada Line between the Bridgeport and Templeton Stations. Due […]

Chemnitz tram-train set for early 2016 launch

Another TramTrain operation opening in Germany, where customer friendly transit is the order of the day. We also have a shovel ready TramTrain plan for Metro Vancouver, the Leewood/Rail for the Valley TramTrain, reinstating the Vancouver to Chilliwack interurban service. All that is missing is the political will and bureaucratic and academic acceptance of the […]

Happy New Years, Or Is It?

Transit news in the Vancouver metro region in 2015 was dominated by the TransLink plebiscite and despite over $12 million dollars spent to bolster the ‘YES” side the vote was decidedly against giving TransLink any more tax money. What is even more tragic is that the politicians, bureaucrats and academics who supported the “YES” side […]